Method and arrangement for scheduling in shared communication networks

ABSTRACT

Method in a transport network node, for distributing an available bandwidth between different access technologies utilizing the transport network node, the transport network node being associated with at least one network node. The method comprises obtaining an allocation scheme reflecting a desired distribution of bandwidth between the different access technologies, and receiving information from the at least one network node, regarding an access technology of the at least one network node. Furthermore, the method comprises scheduling transport of packet data, based on the received information regarding the access technology and the obtained allocation scheme. By implementing functionality in transport network nodes for scheduling transport of packet data based on the access technology, and number of active users, and/or number of active sessions, etc., the transport network node is enabled to allocate an appropriate amount of transport capacity fair between users of different access technologies.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a National stage of International Application No.PCT/SE2014/050408, filed Apr. 7, 2014, which is hereby incorporated byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to management of transport capacity intransport networks, especially it relates to distribution of availablebandwidth for packet data.

BACKGROUND

With emergence of communication services, the amount of data incommunication networks has increased with time. To meet user demands foras well increased communication capacity and fast communication, newaccess technologies have been developed. In transport networks, such asaggregation networks or access networks, transport network nodes willthen be capable of transporting user data originating from differentaccess technologies within the same transport network.

FIG. 1 which is a schematic overview illustrates an aggregation node 100which is a router of a transport network, receives packet data accordingto two different access technologies (LTE and UMTS) from two respectivenetwork nodes 120 to which network communication devices 122 areconnected. The aggregation node 100 is arranged to transport thereceived packet data into a core network.

The term “network communication device” will be used throughout thisdescription to denote any device which is capable of networkcommunications. The term network communication device may thus includeany device, which may be used by a user for network communications.Accordingly, the term network communication device may alternatively bereferred to as a mobile terminal, a terminal, a user terminal (UT), auser equipment (UE), a wireless terminal, a wireless communicationdevice, a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), a mobile phone, a cellphone, a table computer, a smart phone, etc. In addition, the termnetwork communication devices, may further relate to fixed connecteddevices of a communication network, such as terminals, computers, etc.of a LAN (Local Area Network) or public switched network. Yet further,the term wireless communication device includes MTC (Machine TypeCommunication) devices, which do not necessarily involve humaninteraction. MTC devices are sometimes referred to as Machine-to-Machine(M2M) devices.

Different communication technologies have different access times. Forinstance an RTT (round trip time) of LTE (Long Term Evolution) issubstantially lower than a round trip of UMTS (Universal MobileTelephony System). When different access technologies are sharing commontransport networks, the access technologies that have longer RTT willget a problem with the throughput, due to TCP inherent mechanisms. Ithas been experienced in shared networks between UMTS and LTE that theUMTS technology is starving while LTE takes most of the capacity fore.g. the best effort traffic.

Adding to the complexity is when traffic is sent in encrypted tunnels,e.g. IPSec (Internet Protocol Security), and all information from withinthe packets are hidden, thus it's impossible to perform any fairnessscheduling per technology and per user.

Thus there is a problem to satisfactory allocate transport resources inshared communication networks.

SUMMARY

It would be desirable to obtain improved performance of transport ofpacket data in transport networks. It is an object of this disclosure toaddress at least any of the issues outlined above.

Further, it is an object to control transport of packet data relating todifferent access technologies. These objects may be met by a method andan arrangement according to the attached independent claims.

According to one aspect, a method is provided which is performed by atransport network node 200, 300, such as a router, for distributing anavailable bandwidth between different access technologies utilising thetransport network node 200, 300, the transport network node 200, 300being associated with at least one network node 220, 230, 320, such as aNodeB or an eNodeB. The method comprises obtaining 500 an allocationscheme reflecting a desired distribution of bandwidth between thedifferent access technologies, and receiving 502 information from the atleast one network node 220, 230, 320, regarding an access technology ofthe at least one network node 220, 230, 320. Furthermore, the methodcomprises scheduling 508 transport of packet data, based on the receivedinformation 502 regarding the access technology and the obtainedallocation scheme.

Furthermore, the received 502 information regarding the accesstechnology may be comprised in suitable headers of received packet data.Further information regarding a number of active users per accesstechnology and/or a number of sessions per active user may be received,and the scheduling may be further based on the number of active usersper access technology and/or number of sessions per active user. Theinformation regarding the number of active sessions may be implementedas different ranges of sessions per active user. The scheduling maycomprise calculating specific weights which are applied when calculatingratios for access technologies.

According to another aspect a communication management module 310 isprovided which is adapted to be arranged in a transport network node200, 300 for distributing an available bandwidth between differentaccess technologies utilising the transport network node 200, 300, thetransport network node 200, 300 being associated with at least onenetwork node 220, 230, 320. The communication management module 310comprises a controller 304 which is adapted to obtain an allocationscheme reflecting a desired distribution of bandwidth between thedifferent access technologies, and a communication interface module 302which is adapted to receive information from the at least one networknode 220, 230, 320, regarding an access technology of the at least onenetwork node 220, 230, 320. The controller 304 is further adapted toschedule transport of packet data, based on the received informationregarding the access technology and the obtained allocation scheme.

Moreover, the communication management module 310 may be adapted toreceive further information and apply when scheduling, correspondinglyto the method described above.

According to a further aspect a transport network node 200, 300 isprovided which comprises the communication management module of theabove defined aspect. The transport network node 200, 300 may beimplemented as any of: a router, an RNC (Radio Network Controller), anAP (Access point), an AC (Access Center), a DSLAM (Digital SubscriberLine Access Multiplexer), a CMTS (Cable Modem Termination Systems)entity, and an OLT (Optical Line Termination)

By implementing functionality in transport network nodes for schedulingtransport of packet data based on the access technology, and number ofactive users, and/or number of active sessions, etc. the transportnetwork node is enabled to allocate an appropriate amount of transportcapacity fair between users of different access technologies.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The solution will now be described in more detail by means of exemplaryembodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an arrangement in accordance withthe prior art.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an arrangement, according to apossible embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of an arrangement, according topossible embodiments.

FIG. 4 a-c are schematic illustrations of headers, according to possibleembodiments.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a method, according to possibleembodiments.

FIG. 6a-c are schematic illustrations, according to a possibleembodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of a possible embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of a computer program productaccording to possible embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Transport networks nodes are commonly not aware of which accesstechnology received packet data relates to, and are therefore not ableto allocate communication capacity fair between the access technologies.By providing information with packet data, regarding access technologyof active users, network nodes will be enabled to calculate specificscheduling weights. By applying these scheduling weights, transportnetwork nodes which supports limited number of queues and hierarchieswill be enabled to schedule fair without knowledge of the individualusers.

With reference to FIG. 2, which is a schematic block diagram, atransport network and transport network nodes will now be described inaccordance with one exemplifying embodiment.

An aggregation network (not referred to) connects wireless communicationdevices 222, such as UEs (User Equipments) and M2M devices (Machine toMachine) to a core node 240 of a core network (not referred to). Thewireless communication devices 222 are connected via network nodes 220of different access technologies to an aggregation node 200, which isconnected to the core node 240. To the aggregation node 200 is alsofixed communication devices 232, such as computers of a LAN (Local AreaNetwork) connected to the aggregation node 200 via network nodes 230.The network nodes 220 which connects the wireless communication devices222, is typically implemented as suitable radio base stations, such asNodeBs, or eNodeBs, but may alternatively be implemented as WLAN accesspoints. The network node 232 is typically implemented as a CPE (CustomerPremise Equipment), which may be a router, a modem, a switch, etc.

The network nodes 220, 230 communicates packet data from the networknodes 220, 230 to the aggregation node, but complements the data packetswith information regarding the number of users of their respectiveaccess technology, and a number of active users of their respectiveaccess technologies. As will be further discussed in conjunction withanother embodiment, the aggregation node 200 applies this receivedinformation for allocating communication capacity to the differentaccess technologies when scheduling. By providing functionality in thenetwork nodes 220, 230 to provide information regarding accesstechnology and the number of currently active users of that accesstechnologies, and functionality in the aggregation node 200 for makinguse of the received information regarding access technology and numberof currently active users when scheduling, the aggregation node 200 willbe enabled to increase fairness between different access technologieswhen distributing packet data.

It is to be noted that even if the aggregation node 200 is located inthe aggregation network which connects network nodes 220, 230 to a corenode 240, the disclosed concept is not limited thereto. The proposedsolution may be implemented in any suitable network node whichtransports packet data originating from different access technologies.For instance, the proposed solution may be implemented in modems, Wi-Fiaccess points, local routers, etc. Furthermore, the proposed solution isnot limited to any specific access technology, and may be implemented ina plurality of access technologies, such as LTE Long Term Evolution, LTEAdvanced, UMTS (Universal Mobile Telephony System), HSPA (High SpeedPacket Access), WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network), Wi-Fi (WirelessFidelity), DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), GPON (Gigabit Passive OpticalNetwork), PtP fibre (Point to point), etc.

With reference to FIG. 3, which is a schematic block diagram,communication management module 310 will now be described, in accordancewith one exemplifying embodiment. The communication management module310 is adapted to be comprised in a transport network node 300. Thecommunication management module comprises a communication interfacemodule 302, a controller 304, and optionally a storage module 306 and aprocessor 308.

The controller 304 is adapted to obtain an allocation scheme whichreflects a desired distribution of bandwidths between different accesstechnologies. The allocation scheme may define proportions of bandwidthsfor the different access technologies, which are desired by an operator.In this embodiment, the allocation scheme is obtained from the operatoras an access quota between the different access technologies. The accessquota may be preset and stored in the optional storage module 306.

The communication interface module 302 is adapted to receive informationfrom at least one network node 320 regarding an access technology of atleast network node 320. In this embodiment, the information regardingthe access technologies is received in headers of packet data (shown asIP in the figure) from the network node 320, and the packets arereceived in accordance with any suitable transport protocol, e.g.Internet Protocol. However, disclosed concept is not limited thereto,the information may be alternatively received, e.g. as specific signalsor parameters through any suitable input of interface. The controller304 is further adapted to schedule transport of the packet data, basedon the received information regarding the access technology and theobtained allocation scheme.

The principle of the scheduling will be described below in conjunctionwith another exemplifying embodiment. The optional processor 308 may bearranged to provide calculation capacity to the communication managementmodule 310.

In an alternative embodiment, which is based on the one above, atransport network node 300 comprises the communication network module310. The transport network node 300 may be implemented as a router, amodem, a switch, etc. The transport network node is adapted to send thepacket data to a core network node 340 or a further transport networknode 300, in accordance with any suitable transport protocol, such asIP. The transport network node 300 may be implemented as any suitablenode, e.g. as a router, an RNC (Radio Network Controller), an AP (AccessPoint), an AC (Access Center), a DSLAM (Digital Subscriber Line AccessMultiplexer), a CMTS (Cable Modem Termination Systems) entity etc.Furthermore, the transport network node 300 may be implemented as an OLT(Optical Line Termination), e.g. for PtP (Point to Point) or PtMP (Pointto Multipoint) transport.

With reference to the five tables below, the resulting allocation oftransport capacity, when the proposed solution is applied will now bedescribed, in accordance with an embodiment example. In this embodiment,a transport network node is scheduling transport of packet data of fourdifferent access technologies, i.e. UMTS, LTE, Fixed fiber, and Wi-Fi.For all the tables, the first column shows the access technology, thesecond column shows the resulting bandwidth per active user of theaccess technology, the third column shows the number of active users,and the fourth columns shows the resulting bandwidth per accesstechnology.

The first table illustrates a typical situation in a transport networknode, wherein there are 10 active users of each access technology andthe proposed solution is not applied. As seen, the resulting bandwidthwill be uneven distributed between the different access technologies,due to differences in RTT between technologies. For instance, UMTS-userswill be starving when fixed fiber-users gain in transport capacity.

Technology BW/user # users BW/technology UMTS 0.7% 10  7% LTE  2% 10 20%Fixed fiber 4.3% 10 43% Wi-Fi  3% 10 30%

The second table illustrates a situation where there also are 10 activeusers of each access technology, but where the scheduling is performedbased on the access technologies. As seen the allocated transportcapacity is fair distributed between the different access technologiesand users, when there are equal amount of users in each technology.

Technology BW/user # users BW/technology UMTS 2.5% 10 25% LTE 2.5% 1025% Fixed fiber 2.5% 10 25% Wi-Fi 2.5% 10 25%

The third table illustrates the situation where the scheduling isperformed based on the access technologies, but there are differentnumbers of active users of the access technologies. As seen, theresulting allocated bandwidth of the active users is unevenlydistributed between active users of different access technologies. Forinstance, active users of UMTS and LTE starve while active users offixed fiber and Wi-Fi gain.

Technology BW/user # users BW/technology UMTS 2.5% 10 25% LTE 2.5% 1025% Fixed fiber 12.5%  2 25% Wi-Fi  5% 5 25%

The fourth table illustrates the situation when the available bandwidthis distributed based on both access technology and the number of activeusers of the access technologies. By taking both the access technologiesand the current number of active users of each access technology intoaccount when scheduling, the transport network node may dynamicallydistribute transport capacity between the access technologies, whichresults in an effective and flexible use of available transportcapacity. When put into practice, the scheduler calculates a weightparameter for each access technology, which will be further discussedbelow in conjunction with another embodiment.

BW/technology Technology BW/user # users (equal weight 25% each) UMTS3.7% 10 37% LTE 3.7% 10 37% Fixed fiber 3.7% 2 7.4%  Wi-Fi 3.7% 5 18.5% 

The fifth table illustrates also a situation where the availablebandwidth is distributed based on both access technology and the numberof active users. In the example of the fifth table, the operator hasassigned un-equal weights and performed the method of distributingavailable bandwidth according to alternative un-equal weights of weightsfor the access technologies. By this solution, an operator who favoursone access technology before another access technology will also be ableto distribute bandwidth dynamically dependent on the number of activeusers of the different access technologies.

BW/technology Technology BW/user # users (Un-equal weight 15, 30, 35,20%) UMTS 2.42% 10 24.2% LTE 4.84% 10 48.4% Fixed fiber 5.65% 2 11.3%Wi-Fi 3.22% 5 16.1%

In a transport network, a transport network node distributes data whichoriginates from four different access technologies, UMTS, LTE, FixedFiber, and Wi-Fi. The transport network node receives data packets whichcomprises information regarding the respective access technology and thenumber of user. In this embodiment, the transport network node receivesinformation from the access node regarding which access technology theaccess node operates in accordance with, and the number of achieve userswhich that the access node currently serves. The information regardingaccess technology and number of users is comprised in headers of thedata packets which are sent from the access node.

With reference to the FIGS. 4a-c , which are schematic illustrations ofdata packets, three different data packets will now be described inaccordance with exemplifying embodiments.

FIG. 4a illustrates a data packet 400 a which comprises a conventionalheader and payload data, but is complemented with information regardingan access technology and the number of active users of that accesstechnology. In this embodiment the information regarding the accesstechnology and the number of active users of that access technology areplaced between the conventional header and the payload.

FIG. 4b , which is similar to the FIG. 4a illustrates instead a datapacket 400 b which also comprises a conventional header and a payload.The data packet 400 b is instead complemented with information regardingan access technology and a range of sessions for the user. For instance,the information may specify that the access technology is UMTS and thatthe present user of the data packet currently takes part in between 20and 45 sessions.

FIG. 4c , which is similar to the FIG. 4a illustrates instead a datapacket 400 c which also comprises a conventional header and a payload.The data packet 400 c is instead complemented with information regardingan access technology and a range of sessions for the user, but also anumber of active users of that access technology. As described above inconjunction with another exemplifying embodiment, a scheduler of atransport network node may make use of this information to allocatetransport capacity in the transport network per access technology, peraccess technology and the number of active users, per access technologyand number of users and number of sessions, etc.

However, the concept is not limited thereto, the network nodes may beapplied to provide any suitable combination of information regardingaccess technology, number of active users, and number of sessions peractive user, which the transport network node may be adapted to make useof when scheduling transport of packet data.

The above described embodiments describe the headers in a schematicmanner, to simplify the understanding. However, when put into practise,the different headers are adapted to any suitable transport protocol,e.g. GTP-u (GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) Tunnelling Protocol-UserData Tunnelling), 3GPP-IuB, CAPWAP (Control And Provisioning of WirelessAccess Points), GRE (Generic Routing Encapsulation), and IPSec (InternetProtocol Security), etc. For instance, suitable flags will be added topositions of the conventional headers to define that additionalinformation is relating to access technology, etc. is attached to thedata packets.

The information regarding access technology, number of active user, andnumber of sessions may be provided to the transport network node indifferent ways. Below, some embodiments where the information isattached to the headers of data packets will be described. However,disclosed concept is not limited thereto, and the information may bealternatively provided. For instance the information may be provided asseparate suitable data packet or messages or signals.

It is to be noted that the described principles and methods are notlimited to upstream transport.

When transporting packet data in a downstream direction, each accesstechnology Edge node (PDN-GW (Packet Data Network Gateway), BNG(Broadband Network Gateway), etc.) terminates the transport tunnelingprotocol in the upstream and copies the received extension headers andadds them to the user downstream transport tunneling protocol towardsthe access node. Aggregation nodes in downstream direction can thenschedule Bandwidth Fairness in the same way as in earlier describedupstream direction. Correspondingly as in the upstream scenario, theinformation regarding access technology etc. is not limited to beprovided in packet data headers, and may be provided as any suitablesignal or parameter when appropriate.

With reference to FIG. 5, which is a schematic flow chart, a methodperformed by a transport network node will now be described inaccordance with one embodiment.

In a first action 500, the transport network node obtains an allocationscheme which reflects a desired distribution of bandwidth betweendifferent access technologies. As stated above, the allocation schememay be pre-set in the transport network node and define proportions ofthe distribution of bandwidth.

In a following action 502, the transport network node receivesinformation regarding the different access technologies of receivedpacket data. As disclosed in another embodiment, this information may bereceived in extended headers of the packet data, which are receivedaccording to any suitable transport protocol.

In another action 508, the transport network node schedules transport ofthe packet data to another transport network node or edge node based onthe access technologies and the obtained allocation scheme, such thatthe transport network node is enabled to transport the packet data fairscheduled according to access technologies in a final action 510.

The principles of the scheduling of action 508 will be defined in moredetail below and will therefore not be further discussed in thisembodiment.

In an alternative exemplifying embodiment which is based on the abovedescribed embodiment, the transport network node in addition receivesinformation regarding the number of active users per access technologyin an intermediate action 504. This additional information may beapplied as a further basis when scheduling in action 508, as will bedescribed in more detail below in conjunction with another embodiment.The transport network node may further, in an optional action 506,receive information regarding the number of session which the activeusers perform. Also the information regarding the number of sessions maybe applied as a further basis when scheduling. As well the informationregarding the number of active users per access technology and thenumber of sessions per active user may be received in extended headers,which will be further disclosed below.

With reference to the FIGS. 6a and 6b , which are schematicillustrations, a principle and an example of a scheduling calculationwill be described, in accordance with one exemplifying embodiment.

FIG. 6a illustrates some definitions of parameters in a transportnetwork node which transports packet data originating from four accesstechnologies. For the first access technology the operator has allocateda bandwidth ratio A, for the second access technology a bandwidth ratioB, for the third access technology a bandwidth ratio C, and for thefourth access technology a bandwidth ratio D. The total bandwidth ratiois 100%, i.e. A+B+C+D=100%. The numbers of active users per accesstechnologies are x, y, z, and p. The bandwidth ratios per active user ofthe access technologies are a, b, c, and d. It is to be noted that evenif the operator has considered that there are the same number of activeusers of each access technology, the bandwidth ratios per active user ofthe technologies will typically vary, which will be illustrated in anexample below.

A scheduling function within the transport network node will calculate aweighted bandwidth ratio for each access technology A′, B′, C′, and D′,which will be applied when scheduling packet data to be transported.When there is equal number of active users of each access technology,the proportions of the total bandwidth per access technology A, B, C,and D are the same as the proportions of the total bandwidth per activeuser and access technology.

FIG. 6b will illustrate the method which is performed, according to anexample.

In this example, the operator has considered that there is the samenumber of active users of each access technology, and that users of thefirst access technology will be allocated more bandwidth. In thisexample, the operator considers that a user of the first accesstechnology will be allocated 1.3 times (40/30) the bandwidth which auser of the second access technology will be allocated. Correspondingly,the operator has considered that the user of the first access technologywill be allocated 2 times (40/20) the bandwidth which a user of thethird access technology will be allocated, etc. However the operator isnot aware of the current number of active users.

However, the number of users varies with time. A traditional schedulingfunction in a transport network node is not able to adjust allocatedbandwidth according to the varying number of active users. For 5, 2, 2,and 1 active user of the four access technologies, a traditionalscheduling function would have allocated 8% (40/5), 15% (30/2), 10%(20/2), and 10% (10/1) to active users of the various technologies. Thenusers of the first access technology would have been starving, whileusers of the third and fourth access technology would have been gaining.

A scheduling function of the proposed method would instead make use ofreceived information regarding the number of active users per accesstechnology for to calculate an appropriate weighted bandwidth ratio peraccess technology, to apply when scheduling.

In this embodiment the total sum of bandwidth ratios is calculated byfirst multiplying each per user per access technology bandwidth withrelated number of users (e.g. a*x) and then sum up all the accesstechnologies. The scheduler setting for the respective access technologywill be the respective products: a*x, b*y, c*z and d*p. However, thescheduling function is not aware of the bandwidth ratio per user pertechnology a, b, c, d, but calculates them as follows.

-   -   The sum of bandwidth equation: a*x+b*y+c*z+d*p=W    -   The relation of bandwidth per access technology shall be the        same for per user per access technology, thus A:B:C:D relations        shall be the same as a:b:c:d. This gives a number of relation        equations:    -   Relation equations: A/B=a/b and A/C=a/c and A/D=a/d    -   Solving for b, c, and d parameters gives:    -   b=(B/A)*a and c=(C/A)*a and d=(D/A)*a    -   Exchanging b, c and d in the Sum of bandwidth equation with        their respective equations gives:    -   Sum of bandwidth equation: a*x+(B/A)*a*y+(C/A)*a*z+(D/A)*a*p=W    -   Solving the parameter a from the sum of bandwidth equation        gives: a=W/(x+B/A*y+C/A*z+D/A*p).    -   Correspondingly, the parameters b, c, and d are solved from the        sum of bandwidth equation.        b=(B*W)/(A*x+B*y+C*z+D*p)        c=(C*W)/(A*x+B*y+C*z+D*p)        d=(D*W)/(A*x+B*y+C*z+D*p)    -   The parameters a, b, c and d can now be used by the scheduler to        perform per user per access technology dynamic bandwidth        fairness scheduling.    -   Finally the scheduler value A′, B′, C′, D′ for the respective        access technology is then:    -   A′: a*x    -   B′: b*y    -   C′: c*z    -   D′: d*p

For the case in the example with 5, 2, 2, and 1 active users, therespective bandwidth ratios a, b, c, and d are, 12.90%, 9.68%, 6.45%,and 3.23%, which result in the weighted bandwidths 64.52% (first accesstechnology) 19.35% (second), 12.90% (third), and 3.23% (fourth).

In the above described embodiment example the total bandwidth W has beenmeasured by the transport network node, and the number of active usersper access technology x, y, z, p have been received from a network node.The bandwidth ratios per access technology A, B, C, D are predefined inthe transport network node. By applying these parameters, the transportnetwork node is enabled to calculate an appropriate bandwidth ratio peraccess technology. Thereby, the transport network node will be able toperform a fair schedulation of packet data without further inspection oranalysis of received data packets.

With reference to the FIG. 7, which is a schematic illustration, aprinciple of an alternative method will now be described, in accordancewith one alternative exemplifying embodiment. The alternative method isbased on the above described embodiment, but differs in that theavailable bandwidth is distributed dynamically also dependent on thecurrent number of sessions of the active users. An operator who wants todistribute available bandwidth between the active users defines a numberof ranges of active sessions. In this embodiment, the operator definesfour groups or ranges, namely: users who currently perform 1 session,users who currently perform 2-3 sessions, users who currently perform4-25 sessions, and users who currently perform more than 25 sessions. Byassigning a desired proportion (corresponding to A, B, C, D) of theavailable bandwidth within an access technology to each of the ranges,and receive the number of active users (corresponding to x, y, z, p)within each range, a bandwidth ratio (corresponding to a, b, c, d) perrange, a weighted bandwidth ratio per range (corresponding to A′, B′,C′, D′) will be calculated. When scheduling, the transport network willthen be able to dynamically distribute packet data also dependent on thenumber of sessions which the active users performs. Thereby, users whoperform few sessions could be prevented from being starved by users whoperform a lot of sessions.

It is also to be noted that the disclosed concept of the above describedembodiments is not limited to be applied for the above describedparameters, i.e. current number of users and current number of session.A designer will be free to apply any suitable parameter of combinationof parameters within the disclosed concept. For instance, he/she mayimplement the method for active sessions only, without taking number ofusers within each access technology in account.

In an alternative exemplifying embodiment, which is based on one abovedescribed embodiment, the data packets are further marked withinformation regarding how many sessions the active user currently hasestablished. Thereby, the transport network node is enabled toprioritise active users with fewer sessions before active users withmore sessions.

By dividing the users in a reasonable amount of groups according totheir number of sessions, and defining the groups appropriately, thetransport network node will be enabled to distribute the availablebandwidth effectively and fair between the active users. More sessiongroups or ranges will enable better fairness between active users.However, as illustrated FIG. 7 and in the corresponding table below,also a lower amount of session groups will increase the fairness.

In the embodiment, for one specific access technology 10 users areactive: 1 user who performs 1 session, 6 users who each perform between4-25 sessions and 3 users who each perform more than 26 sessions. Withinthe specific access technology the 10 users will share the availabletransport capacity of that access technology. Consider the case when 3users perform 30 sessions each, 6 users performs 10 sessions each and 1user performs 1 session. In total, these 10 users perform 151 sessions.Without scheduling dividing the users in session groups, the user whoperforms 1 session will get 1/151=0.66%, while users who performs 30sessions will get 30/151=19.9% each of the available transport capacity.

By dividing the users in the session groups g₁, g₂, g₃ and g₄,calculating a Technology session weight for each of the session groupsbased on the number of active users in each session group, as in thetable, multiplying the available transport capacity of the accesstechnology with the appropriate Technology session weight, the sessiongroups will be allocated the respective proportions of the availabletransport capacity according to the fourth column. The allocatedtransport capacities of the session groups are then divided within therespective session group on the active users of the session group. Inthis example, scheduling also based on session groups result in thateach user will get assigned 1/10=10% of the available bandwidth of theaccess technology

Per user session Technology session Session group # users weight weightg₄ (>26 Sessions) 3 1/10 3/10 g₃ (4-25 Sessions) 6 1/10 6/10 g₂ (2-3Sessions) 0 0 0 g₁ (1 Session) 1 1/10 1/10

Even if the described example relates to four different accesstechnologies, the disclosed concept is not limited to any specificnumbers of access technologies, the disclosed concept may be implementedfor an appropriate number of access technologies, when put intopractice. In addition, the different access technologies can beallocated with bandwidth ratios to specific QoS (Quality of Service)classes, i.e. best effort, etc. Thus, when put into practice, thedisclosed solution may be implemented within one specific QoS class, orbetween multiple QoS classes, when implementing.

According to some exemplifying embodiments, a computer program productcomprises a computer readable medium such as, for example, a diskette ora CD-ROM as illustrated by 800 in FIG. 8. The computer readable mediummay have stored thereon a computer program comprising programinstructions. The computer program may be loadable into adata-processing unit 830, which may, for example, be comprised in acommunication network node 810. When loaded into the data-processingunit 830, the computer program may be stored in a memory 820 associatedwith or integral to the data-processing unit 830. According to someembodiments, the computer program may, when loaded into and run by thedata-processing unit 830, cause the data-processing unit 830 to executemethod steps according to, for example, the method shown in the FIG. 5.

It is to be noted that the arrangements of the described exemplifyingembodiments are described in a non-limiting manner. Typically, adesigner may select to arrange further units and components to provideappropriate operation of the transport network node, within thedescribed concept, e.g. further processors or memories. Moreover,physical implementations of the proposed arrangements may be performedalternatively within the disclosed concept. For instance, functionalityof a specific illustrated unit or module may be implemented in anothersuitable unit or module when put into practice.

Reference throughout the specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” is used to mean that a particular feature, structure orcharacteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included inat least one embodiment. Thus, the appearance of the expressions “in oneembodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout thespecification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment.Further, the particular features, structures or characteristics may becombined in any suitable manner in one or several embodiments. Althoughthe present invention has been described above with reference tospecific embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specificform set forth herein. Rather, the invention is limited only by theaccompanying claims and other embodiments than the specific above areequally possible within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, itshould be appreciated that the terms “comprise/comprises” or“include/includes”, as used herein, do not exclude the presence of otherelements or steps. Furthermore, although individual features may beincluded in different claims, these may possibly advantageously becombined, and the inclusion of different claims does not imply that acombination of features is not feasible and/or advantageous. Inaddition, singular references do not exclude a plurality. Finally,reference signs in the claims are provided merely as a clarifyingexample and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claimsin any way.

The scope is generally defined by the following independent claims.Exemplifying embodiments are defined by the dependent claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method performed by a transport networknode for distributing an available bandwidth between different accesstechnologies, the transport network node being located in a transportnetwork and communicatively coupled with a plurality of network nodesusing different access technologies to each serve one or more users, thetransport network node further being communicatively coupled with a corenetwork, the method comprising: obtaining an allocation schemereflecting a desired distribution of bandwidth between the differentaccess technologies; receiving, from each of the plurality of networknodes, an information comprising an access technology used by thenetwork node and further comprising an active number of users beingserved by the network node using that access technology; receiving, fromeach of the plurality of network nodes, information regarding a numberof sessions per active user; and scheduling a transport of data packetsreceived from the plurality of network nodes by the transport networknode to the core network based on the received access technologies, thereceived active numbers of users, the received information from eachnetwork node regarding the number of sessions per active user, and theobtained allocation scheme, wherein the scheduling comprises: for eachaccess technology, determining a bandwidth ratio per active user and arange of active sessions of the active user, wherein the bandwidth ratioper active user for an access technology is determined using a totalbandwidth amount measured by the transport network node, an allocatedbandwidth ratio of each of the access technologies, and the activenumber of users of each of the access technologies; and determining aweighted bandwidth ratio per access technology based on the determinedbandwidth ratio per active user for the access technology and also basedupon the active number of users of the access technology.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the information comprising the accesstechnology and the active number of users received from at least one ofthe plurality of network nodes is within one or more headers of one ormore of the data packets.
 3. The method according to claim 1, whereineach received information regarding the number of sessions per activeuser comprises a range of the number of sessions.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein two of the different access technologiesare from a set of: Long Term Evolution (LTE), Universal Mobile TelephonySystem (UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Wireless Fidelity(Wi-Fi), Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), Gigabit Passive Optical Network(GPON), Ethernet, and Point to point (PtP) fiber.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 2, wherein at least some of the data packets arereceived in accordance with: General Packet Radio Service TunnellingProtocol-User Data Tunnelling (GTP-u), Third Generation PartnershipProject (3GPP)-IuB, Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points(CAPWAP), Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE), or Internet ProtocolSecurity (IPSec).
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein at leastone of the plurality of network nodes is integrated with the transportnetwork node, and wherein the receiving of the information is performedinternally within the transport network node.
 7. A transport networknode to distribute an available bandwidth between different accesstechnologies, wherein the transport network node is to be located in atransport network and communicatively coupled with a plurality ofnetwork nodes using different access technologies to each serve one ormore users, wherein the transport network node is to further becommunicatively coupled with a core network, the transport network nodecomprising: one or more processors; and a non-transitory computerreadable storage medium having instructions which, when executed by theone or more processors, cause the transport network node to performoperations comprising: obtaining an allocation scheme reflecting adesired distribution of bandwidth between the different accesstechnologies; receiving, from each of the plurality of network nodes, aninformation comprising an access technology used by the network node andfurther comprising an active number of users being served by the networknode using that access technology; receiving, from each of the pluralityof network nodes, information regarding a number of sessions per activeuser; and scheduling a transport of data packets received from theplurality of network nodes by the transport network node to the corenetwork based on the received access technologies, the received activenumbers of users, the received information from each network noderegarding the number of sessions per active user, and the obtainedallocation scheme, wherein the scheduling comprises: for each accesstechnology, determining a bandwidth ratio per active user and a range ofactive sessions of the active user, wherein the bandwidth ratio peractive user for an access technology is determined using a totalbandwidth amount measured by the transport network node, an allocatedbandwidth ratio of each of the access technologies, and the activenumber of users of each of the access technologies; and determining aweighted bandwidth ratio per access technology based on the determinedbandwidth ratio per active user for the access technology and also theactive number of users of the access technology.
 8. The transportnetwork node according to claim 7, wherein the information comprisingthe access technology and the active number of users received from atleast one of the plurality of network nodes is within one or moreheaders of one or more of the data packets.
 9. The transport networknode according to claim 7, wherein each received information regardingthe number of sessions per active user comprises a range of the numberof sessions.
 10. The transport network node according to claim 7,wherein two of the different access technologies are from a set of: LongTerm Evolution (LTE), Universal Mobile Telephony System (UMTS), HighSpeed Packet Access (HSPA), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), DigitalSubscriber Line (DSL), Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON), Ethernet,and Point to point (PtP) fiber.
 11. The transport network node accordingto claim 8, wherein at least some of the data packets are received inaccordance with: General Packet Radio Service Tunnelling Protocol-UserData Tunnelling (GTP-u), Third Generation Partnership Project(3GPP)-IuB, Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP),Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE), or Internet Protocol Security(IPSec).
 12. The transport network node according to claim 7, whereinthe transport network node is either: a router, a Radio NetworkController (RNC), an access point (AP), an access center (AC), a DigitalSubscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM), a Cable Modem TerminationSystems (CMTS) entity, or an Optical Line Termination (OLT).
 13. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer codestored therein, which when executed by a processor of a transportnetwork node causes the transport network node to distribute anavailable bandwidth between different access technologies by performingoperations, the transport network node being located in a transportnetwork and communicatively coupled with a plurality of network nodesusing different access technologies to each serve one or more users, thetransport network node further being communicatively coupled with a corenetwork, the operations comprising: obtaining an allocation schemereflecting a desired distribution of bandwidth between the differentaccess technologies; receiving from each of the plurality of networknodes, an information comprising an access technology used by thenetwork node and further comprising an active number of users beingserved by the network node using that access technology; receiving, fromeach of the plurality of network nodes, information regarding a numberof sessions per active user; and scheduling a transport of data packetsreceived from the plurality of network nodes by the transport networknode to the core network based on the received access technologies, thereceived active numbers of users, the received information from eachnetwork node regarding the number of sessions per active user, and theobtained allocation scheme, wherein the scheduling comprises: for eachaccess technology, determining a bandwidth ratio per active user and arange of active sessions of the active user, wherein the bandwidth ratioper active user for an access technology is determined using a totalbandwidth amount measured by the transport network node, an allocatedbandwidth ratio of each of the access technologies, and the activenumber of users of each of the access technologies; and determining aweighted bandwidth ratio per access technology based on the determinedbandwidth ratio per active user for the access technology and also basedupon the active number of users of the access technology.
 14. The methodaccording to claim 2, wherein the received information within the one ormore headers of the one or more of the data packets is located betweenone or more conventional headers and a payload.